The Community Roundtable

Empowering global community leaders with research-backed resources, training, and tools.

Trends in Community Management Staffing

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34% of community professionals surveyed in the State of Community Management 2019 are still on teams of one, with the average community team now at six individuals, four of whom are full-time.

Surprisingly, the size of a team currently does not show consistent correlation to use case, the number of members in a community, the ROI of the community, or the sophistication of community strategy. This indicates there is little rationale in staffing to fit the needs or value of the community and suggests that staffing still relies on ad hoc support, that may just be one enlightened executive who believes in the promise of building community.

This disconnect further reinforces that community roles are not well rationalized – and justifying new headcount relies more on persuasion or vision than on responsibilities and results. This implication is further reinforced by looking at the disconnect between growth in value and the resulting increase in staffing and resources. 67% of community programs saw an increase in value and 70% of professionals report that the perception of their credibility and value has increased, yet only 34% of community programs saw any increase in staffing.

Additionally, only 49% of community professionals have been promoted, despite that increase in value and credibility. Not surprising then, when asked about their biggest frustration, community leaders identified lack of resources. Community value is growing significantly, but resources and compensation is lagging behind and often never materializes. This incongruity needs to be addressed by organizational leaders.

Note: This post contains content originally published in the State of Community Management 2019 report. Download your free copy here.

Best Practices for Training a New Community Manager

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Best Practices for Training a new community manager

Intrigued by TheCR Network, but want to learn more about what membership entails before joining?

Watch Hillary Boucher share a special look inside TheCR Network.  In March Hillary shared a look at the research, programming and professional development available exclusively to Network members and highlighted best practices for a training a new community manager. It’s a must-see for any community professionals that are tasked with on-boarding, training and managing new community managers.

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Help! I don’t have budget to add new staff to my community team.

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By Shannon Abram, Relationship Manager at The Community Roundtable.

Budgeting challenges are a big concern for a lot of community managers. One of the most common questions we get from community members is some variation on:

“Help! I don’t have budget to add new staff to my community team. Where should I prioritize my time to make sure my community continues to grow?”

The State of Community Management 2014 report showed  that communities with community managers are more likely to be able to measure the value of the community. It’s important to remember that the work you are doing is important, even if you feel stretched too thin. You are making a difference!

While every role at every organization has it’s own nuances, we’ve pulled together four best practices from the State of Community Management 2014 research that will help you prioritize your time and help ensure that your community is growing and thriving, even as you remain a team of one.

1. Evaluate your time.

​Track where you are spending your time for a week or two and then segment it into major categories – engagement, measurement, evangelism, etc. so you can see your current allocation.

2. Compare your priorities.

Look at how community managers in the most mature communities prioritize their responsibilities – and where that differs from average communities. These are a few of their priorities that differ from average communities:

– Advocating for the community internally

– Building a community roadmap

– Coaching executives

3. Create a schedule.

Reactive issue management can eat up all of your time if you let it. Make sure it doesn’t by blocking your calendar so you can dedicate time to what is important – and make sure to protect that time. Delegate what you can to community members and give the community space to take care of itself sometimes.

​4. Empower members to impact engagement.

​Community managers can scale themselves and improve engagement in their community by giving control to community members. Community leadership programs and working groups have high member participation rates that can signal a healthy, engaged community.

​Other common responsibilities community members take on include new member recruitment, welcoming new members and facilitating introductions and connections – more than 50% of communities reported members taking on these tasks.

Do you struggle with a lack of budget for additional community staffers? We’d love to hear how you stretch your resources to make sure your community is thriving.

Want more insights like these? Download the free State of Community Management 2014 report!

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